Happy Thanksgiving week to you and yours. As we get set to celebrate one of the most important American holidays (and notable NHL standings benchmarks), I figured this would be as good a time as any to take
stock of what our favorite team, the New Jersey Devils, have to be thankful for. Sure there are plenty of ways this team can complain about the current state of the organization, but despite the Devils entering today on a three-game losing streak, there are still plenty of positives to take from the first roughly quarter of the season.
We’ll go through the players alphabetically, and we’ll include every Devil that has played at least one game for the team this season. Let’s begin:
Jake Allen: Long-term security
Jake Allen has largely been pretty great for the Devils since coming over at the 2024 trade deadline. A free agent after last season, it was unclear whether New Jersey would have enough cap space to retain him, despite general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s stated desire to keep him in the Garden State. Well Fitzgerald and Allen got creative with a five-year, $1.8m AAV extension signed right under the wire before free agency opened this past summer. It was way more years than any of us expected, but a far lower AAV to counter-balance that. Allen is surely thankful to have some long-term security at this point in his career.
Jesper Bratt: Goal-scorers
Bratt has been an assist machine throughout his career, culminating in his 67-assist campaign in 2024-25, a new franchise record. This year is no different, as he leads the team with 16 helpers thus far. It’s not all that close either, with Luke Hughes’ 11 assists representing second place. Bratt’s elite playmaking ability makes everyone around him a goal-scorer, but I’m sure he’s still thankful he plays with many players who can finish the chances he sets up for them.
Connor Brown: Shooting percentage benders
Brown got off to an excellent start in New Jersey, with five goals in his first nine games. He’s gone his last five contests without so much as a point, but even with that cold spell (that included a stint on IR) Brown is still shooting 25%. That, of course, is unsustainable, and we’ve already seen his hot stick come back down to earth somewhat. Still, shooting 25% a quarter of the way through the season qualifies as living good to me.
Seamus Casey: Trade Rumors
I feel for Casey. He’s a talented, young, right-shot defenseman, arguably the most difficult commodity to find in today’s NHL. On almost every other team in the league, Casey would be getting regular NHL playing time already. He just happens to be on the one team with a glut of righthanded blueliners, so even with all the injuries, Casey has only played two games with the big club this season. He’s not exactly lighting it up in Utica with three points in eight games, but I’m sure Casey would welcome a change of scenery so he could have a much clearer path to NHL playing time. Every time his name pops up in a trade rumor, I’m sure he’s thankful to hear it.
Dennis Cholowski: Tom Fitzgerald and Sheldon Keefe
Cholowski just can’t hack it at this level, I’m sorry. Yet despite that, Fitzgerald and Keefe insist on keeping him in the lineup while some key defensemen are on the shelf. Cholowski is thankful for the job security.
Paul Cotter: Seasons that end in an odd-numbered year
Take a look through Cotter’s career stats. He seems to have an “every other year” thing going on. His first full (well, close to full anyway) season was 2022-23, when he posted 13 goals in 55 games. Not bad. He plummeted down to seven goals in 76 games in 2023-24, before rebounding in a big way last year with 16 goals in 79 games with New Jersey. This year he has one measly goal in 21 games. Cotter can’t get to 2026-27 fast enough.
Evgenii Dadonov: The neutral zone
Here’s a quirky one: According to NHL Edge, Dadonov has spent 18.9% of his total ice time in the neutral zone. That is good enough to place him in the 93rd percentile league-wide. How exactly does spending a lot of time in the neutral zone benefit the team? I have no idea. All I know is Dadonov seems to be very thankful that the middle-third of the ice exists.
Nico Daws: The waiver wire
Much like Casey, Daws must be thankful that the NHL has avenues for him to seek employment elsewhere. If the league had Major League Baseball’s old reserve clause, Daws would never really see the light of day in the NHL considering the organization’s insistence on keeping Allen and Jacob Markstrom around long-term. I suppose Markstrom’s recent injury troubles could change that, but I’m not going to say that Daws is thankful for another player’s misfortune. I’ll just leave it as Daws being grateful that there are ways that he can go elsewhere and get some actual playing time.
Brenden Dillon: Jack Eichel
In game one of last April’s first round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Dillon took a borderline dirty hit from William Carrier. That hit caused a major neck and back injury for Dillon, leading to doubts as to whether he could continue playing hockey. Amanda Stein wrote a great piece diving deep on this whole saga that I recommend, but the gist of it is that after exploring all possible options, Dillon decided to have artificial disk replacement surgery over the summer. Just a few years ago, the surgery was thought to be highly risky for a hockey player to have, so much so that the Buffalo Sabres refused to let Eichel get the surgery while he was with them, setting in motion his trade to Vegas. Eichel got the surgery while with the Golden Knights, and he proved that it is absolutely a treatment a hockey player can come back from. Dillon reached out to Eichel over the summer about it, the two shared a few conversations, and that gave Dillon the confidence to try it for himself. Amid a sea of injuries to the Devils’ blueline, Dillon has been a rock from day one, keeping the unit afloat. New Jersey is thankful to Dillon, and Dillon is surely thankful to Eichel, not just for what he did for his hockey career, but what he may have done to help Dillon’s long-term, post-career quality of life.
Cody Glass: Defensive acumen
Cody Glass just has not been able to stay healthy during his time in New Jersey, which is a major problem. But because of his defensive utility, he will always have a job when he is healthy enough to play. Glass’ ability to shutdown the opposition has proven extremely useful, to the point where you don’t need him to post big point totals for him to be an important part of a contender.
Luke Glendening: PTO’s
This one is obvious. Glendening won an NHL contract from the Devils for his solid work in the preseason while playing on a PTO. He wasn’t really on many teams’ radars during the preseason, so he had to go the PTO route to find work again. Credit to Glendening for taking advantage of his PTO to win a job out of camp, though the Devils could certainly use an upgrade over him on the fourth line.
Arseny Gritsyuk: Telegram
Gritsyuk has come over to North America and not looked out of place at all. His shot has come as advertised, and his all-around game has come better than advertised. Still, coming to the U.S. is difficult for any young, foreign player, so I’m sure Gritsyuk’s adorable Telegram journaling helps with the transition to a new life. Being able to be yourself and keep in touch with those back home has certainly aided Gritsyuk as he adjusts to life in New Jersey.
Brian Halonen: Darcy Kuemper
On November 1, Halonen scored his first career NHL goal. He beat the Kings’ Darcy Kuemper for the score, which is a pretty notable goalie to get your first goal off of. Good for Halonen for beating Kuemper and creating a memory he’ll never forget.
Dougie Hamilton: His modified no-trade clause
Hamilton’s name has been in more trade rumors than I can count in recent times. And aside from actual trade rumors from NHL insiders, it seems like every Devils fan who has ever lived has concocted a trade that involves Hamilton in some way recently (raises hand). At the end of the day, Hamilton has accumulated generational wealth due to his hockey career, so it’s hard to feel too sorry for him, but I can’t help but feel a little bad that so many people both inside and outside the Devils organization want him gone in some capacity. Hamilton must be thankful for his modified no-trade clause, which to be specific is a 10-team trade list. We don’t know which 10 teams are on that list, but something tells me the Vancouver Canucks are not one of them.
Nico Hischier: Sheldon Keefe
Hischier has obviously been a top player in this league for a long time, but unlike some of the truly high-end forwards, he had never averaged 20 minutes or more per game until Keefe showed up. John Hynes, Alain Nassredine, and Lindy Ruff all kept Hischier’s ice time in the high-teens during their coaching stints in New Jersey. But then Keefe showed up last year and gave Hischier a huge boost. In 2024-25, Hischier averaged 20:23 per game, and this season it’s up even more to 20:54. We as Devils fans should be thankful that Keefe figured out the revolutionary strategy of playing your best players a lot. But I’m sure Hischier is even more thankful than us for the boost in minutes.
Jack Hughes: Timing
It is yet another season in which Jack Hughes will miss significant time due to injury. After suffering his freak accident at a team dinner earlier this month, Hughes will not return until somewhere around New Year’s Day, give or take a week or two in either direction. The big difference between this year and the last two seasons though, is that this months-long injury does not outright end Hughes’ season. It is obviously possible that he suffers another major injury once he returns, but for now, Hughes will not be on the shelf for the remainder of the season this time.
Luke Hughes: Hold-outs
Luke Hughes got absolutely paid this offseason, signing a seven-year, $9m AAV contract during training camp. Hughes missed all of camp and preseason, putting pressure on Fitzgerald to get a deal done. In the end, Hughes gave up some concessions on the length of his deal, so it wasn’t a total defeat for Fitz and the Devils. But Hughes secured a $9m AAV because of his willingness to hold out. Hughes and his accountant are surely thankful for that.
Shane Lachance: Jay Pandolfo
Longtime Devil Jay Pandolfo has guided the Boston University men’s hockey team to some dizzying heights since taking over prior to the 2022-23 season. In three seasons with the Terriers, Pandolfo has led them to three Frozen Fours, including a National Runner-Up finish a season ago. Shane Lachance was a middling prospect for a while, but thanks to his time at BU under Pandolfo, Lachance developed into a promising young prospect, to the point where New Jersey thought highly enough of him to snag him in a three-team trade last season (though I’m sure having his dad in the organization played a role too). Lachance has battled some injuries this fall, but he made his NHL debut on November 15th against Washington, with hopefully many more games to come. Lachance is thankful for Pandolfo’s tutelage, helping him rise to the NHL ranks.
Juho Lammikko: ZSC Lions
After spending a few seasons in the NHL, Lammikko played for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland for three seasons. He played well enough there to draw Tom Fitzgerald’s interest, signing a 1-year, $800K contract with New Jersey prior to this season. Lammikko is thankful to the Lions for helping him get back to playing in the NHL.
Nathan Legare: The AHL
I’m sorry, I’m really not trying to be mean here. But Legare has only gotten into one game this season, and I have a hard time seeing a long NHL career ahead of him. I do see him being able to carve out a long-term role in the AHL though, which should keep Legare employed for a while. There’s no shame in not being able to stay consistently in the NHL, it is the toughest league in the world. Legare can become an AHL staple and make a nice little career for himself.
Zack MacEwen: Hockey’s obsession with tough guys
I admit this is a little unfair to MacEwen, who has shown legitimate hockey skill in his time in New Jersey. But we can all admit that he’s more known for his toughness and fighting ability than his goal-scoring or playmaking. Hockey front offices want at least a few tough guys on their team. It’s why the Senators traded him, because they wanted an upgrade in toughness and fighting ability in Kurtis MacDermid. As long as MacEwen can rely on his toughness and raw strength, he’ll have a job.
Jacob Markstrom: Tom Fitzgerald
Another obvious one. I still believe in Markstrom, I really do. But he of course has been terrible so far this season. When he’s actually healthy enough to play, that is. But despite his age, injury history, and significant struggles, Fitzgerald gave him a two-year, $6m AAV extension anyway. Again, I do believe Markstrom will figure it out eventually. But he absolutely has to be thankful to Fitzgerald for inking Markstrom to a deal in spite of all the red flags.
Timo Meier: The month of March
We know the drill by now: Meier has trouble scoring in a Devils sweater until the calendar flips to March, when he inexplicably goes on a tear. It seemed like Meier was bucking the trend early on, but another prolonged goal drought has him at a mere six goals through 21 games. I really don’t want to wait another few months to see Meier light up scoreboards again, I hope he can get rolling sooner. But at the very least, we all know we can count on Meier Madness.
Dawson Mercer: Modern recovery methods
The Devils’ ironman is thankful for advances in modern medicine and strength and recovery training, which have allowed him to not miss a single game since his debut in the 2021-22 season. Obviously there’s more to it than that, as credit needs to go to Mercer’s own toughness and ability to avoid injury. But either way, Mercer doesn’t get to this point without all the modern tools at his disposal.
Simon Nemec: Confidence
Nemec has had a bit of a breakout this season. It’s not a full-on star turn, as he has still had plenty of mediocre to bad games this season. But it’s undeniable that Nemec has greatly improved over last season’s disappointing campaign. We have been told for a while now that confidence is very important in Nemec’s game. That’s impossible to quantify of course, but I do think we see a much more confident Nemec these days. A huge boost in ice time and responsibility has surely given him a lot of that confidence. And to his credit, he’s taken this opportunity and run with it. He’s still not perfect, but Nemec is starting to blossom, and he’s surely thankful for the confidence he’s developed.
Stefan Noesen: Regression to the mean
Noesen has been disappointing in his second season back in New Jersey. His early goal-scoring last year was unsustainable, and we saw that regression in the second half (though to be fair, injury played a role in that). But this year the regression should be a positive thing for Noesen soon. Yes he’s been disappointing, but he only has one goal on 18 shots on net. That’s well below his career shooting percentage mark, and regression to the mean should come soon, meaning the goals should start falling for Noesen. Once that happens, he’ll be thankful.
Ondrej Palat: Tom Fitzgerald
In an ideal world, I would have a unique entry for every player, but I cannot possibly choose anything than Fitzgerald here. Palat must be extremely thankful to Fitzgerald that he gave him a very lucrative contract with extensive no-movement protection a few years ago. Extremely, extremely thankful.
Brett Pesce: Extra padding
Pesce has been a shot-blocking warrior over the course of his career, and in late October that penchant for blocking shots finally came back to bite him as he took a shot to his hand against the Avalanche and has been out since. It’s hard to get anymore padding on a player’s gloves, but if I were Pesce, I would ask for bulkier equipment to help protect myself. If he could get his hands on some extra padding, he would be grateful for it I’m sure.
Jonas Siegenthaler: A return to form
I wonder if Siegenthaler was still not fully healthy at the beginning of the season. Even if he was, his play had taken a turn for the worse, to the point where I felt the need to write about it around a month ago. But Siegenthaler has started to return to form lately. He’s still not quite as impactful as he can be, but Siegenthaler showing significant improvement would be a very welcome sight for the Devils. And I’m sure Siegenthaler himself is thankful to start finding his game again.
Colton White: Determination
White is a classic NHL-tweener. He got into a few NHL games here and there every season from 2018-19 to 2022-23, didn’t play in the NHL from 2023-24 to 2024-25, and now finds himself filling in once again. It can be a hard life to live, being on the NHL/AHL bubble indefinitely. But credit to White, who must be thankful that he has an inordinate amount of determination to keep living this life. Good for him.
What I’m Thankful For
As for me, I’m thankful for the opportunity to write for my favorite hockey team at a blog as incredible as this one. And I’m thankful to all of you who support our work here at All About The Jersey. Believe me, whether it’s praise or criticism, it means more than you know to be able to share a love of the New Jersey Devils with the readers here. My deepest gratitude to all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving. Let’s all have a wonderful holiday.
